Messages are transmitted in cells (and between cells) by a process called signal transduction. Signal transduction is the means by which the presence (or occurrence) of stimuli are communicated within (or between) cells. Since communication within (and between) cells is central to the control of many biological responses, and because many stimuli promote signal transduction, the ability to rapidly monitor signal transduction in response to a given stimulus would be very useful. Such ability would be especially useful for the screening of compounds to identify those capable of modulating signal transduction.
While any viable cell can be used for such screening, especially useful are neuronal cells, which allow the study of signal transduction in the central nervous system. Long-term cell cultures can be obtained from numerous sources, e.g, immortalized cells. The application of the invention techniques, therefore, to a variety of readily available cell types, will allow fundamental questions of cellular and molecular interactions among the myriad of functionally distinct cell types which contribute to development and functioning of mammalian species to be addressed.